


reflections

by unwoundfloors



Category: Spooks | MI-5
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-13 17:06:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29281938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unwoundfloors/pseuds/unwoundfloors
Summary: A series of moments in time. Spoilers for all seasons.
Relationships: Adam Carter/Ros Myers, Beth/Dimitri/Tariq
Kudos: 4





	1. Late Night Operation

**Author's Note:**

> So, the deal with this collection: some small snapshots across the series based on songs out of my iTunes library. I rewatched like six seasons of Spooks during the great 112 day long COVID lockdown Melbourne experienced in 2020 and we might as well get something productive out of it. 
> 
> This one is post-9x08, for Michael. Title and inspiration for this one courtesy of the Jimmy Edgar remix of Late Night Operation by Machinedrum and Theophilus London.

They’re on day eight of Harry’s indefinite leave of absence, and if Beth is being honest with herself the boredom is beginning to get to her.

It could also be the five drinks in just over two hours. Whatever. Yet another day of deserting the office for the pub at five on the dot with Tariq and Dimitri, leaving only Ruth behind. And so, on this Friday night after a shocker of a week, in the absence of any form of supervision or anything meaningful to do, Beth finds herself looking to cause trouble.

“One of many things I hate about this job,” she starts, leaning back in her chair, “is how long it’s been since I’ve been shagged. Seriously, negative level vetting for the sake of an orgasm. Unbelievable.”

Dimitri bursts into laughter. Tariq looks up from his phone, bemused.

“Easy fix,” he says. “Plenty of good-looking people in the Service. There’s still paperwork, but less of it.”

She raises an eyebrow. Smiles. “You’ve thought about this.”

“Maybe.” There’s a cheeky grin on his face. “I’ve thought about a lot of things, Beth.”

Beth considers this. It was a fair point. One of the depressingly few perks of working in Section D was that the people tended to be remarkably attractive. Even when they turned out to be long-term liars and sociopaths, like their revered former Section Chief Lucas North. It was kind of incredible.

“Boys,” she says, crossing her legs, conscious of her skirt riding up her legs. They both take the bait and peek. Looking good, she thinks. “I have an _excellent_ idea.”

Twenty minutes later Dimitri is letting them into his flat, fumbling with the keys through the fog of six beers before managing to get it open at last.

“Jesus, Dimitri,” Beth says, surveying the loungeroom, tidy but almost completely bare, with distaste. “Do you bring girls here often?”

Dimitri looks self-conscious but laughs. “I haven’t had time to get my things out of storage since SBS. You know what it’s been like at work.”

“Beth, you live with Ruth,” Tariq helpfully points out. Beth smacks his arse.

“Watch that mouth or I’ll show you where it really belongs,” she warns him.

He sits down next to Dimitri and pulls her onto his lap. “Is that supposed to be a threat? Standards for case officers are really slipping at MI5.”

Beth wiggles around and lies back on both their laps. “You are the worst,” she responds, affectionately, before reaching out to kiss him. And then suddenly Dimitri’s hands are also wandering up the insides of her legs and Tariq’s tongue is in her mouth and it’s all a pretty pleasant distraction from the total shitshow that is Section D in Harry’s absence.

Beth lets go of Tariq’s face. “I’ve never hooked up with a colleague before,” she muses. “HR will be disgusted. Do we tell them about this?”

Dimitri looks up at her. “It could be worse,” he says, reflectively. “Have you got any state secrets you want to give away?”

Tariq groans, and Beth completely loses it, bent over with laughter. “Oh my God, Dimitri, too soon.”

“He’s right, though,” Tariq admits, pulling Beth back towards him. “This is fine, don't worry about it. It’s a team-building exercise, they'll be impressed with our initiative.”

“Talk about dedication to the job,” Beth replies, taking hold of Dimitri’s face. She was nothing if not a true professional, after all.


	2. Vicodin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title and inspiration from Vicodin by Instra:mental. Adam and Ros, post-5x10.

The 5 milligrams of diazepam Adam has been prescribed in the A&E ward kick in while Ros is standing in the hallway, on the phone. He breathes in, slowly, his heart rate finally beginning to slow after what had felt like hours of post-adrenaline anxiety. It feels like a sudden, quiet stillness within. Finally. Small blessings.

He closes his eyes. Yet again, the visions of water crashing down and rushing forward, to his knees, to his neck, appear – this time, though, they don’t terrify him.

He thinks of the river at high tide, safe at last. He thinks of Ros on the bridge in her white coat, that flash of white-blonde hair in the flat grey city. Steel-coloured sky, no wind. How beautiful and remote and unknowable she was. His thoughts drift by gently, floating out beyond the horizon, towards the sea.

The door slides open and she appears.

“Ready?” she says, no greeting. Typical Ros. All business, no pleasantries, even when the business had very nearly just killed them both. Although, if he’s honest – thanks to the meds, at this point he didn’t particularly care, either. Another day at the office. So what.

His thoughts are a blur but he manages to pull it together. “Yes.”

Ros, the picture of efficiency, wanders off to find a doctor to talk him into commencing the discharge process. Fifteen minutes later he is stumbling through the hallways, free at last.

He’s in no state to drive whatsoever, so Ros takes him back home first. She is quiet the whole drive back, an enigma at the edge of his vision through his half-closed eyes.

He fumbles his way through unlocking the door. The flat, like his mind, is peaceful and quiet. Thank God Wes had been well and truly outsize of the danger zone, at his grandparents’ for the week. He’d be back on Sunday, giving him exactly one more day to sleep through.

“See you Monday,” Ros says, breaking the silence, and moves for the doorway.

Impulsively, suddenly overcome by the need to feel alive, Adam reaches out to take her arm and pulls her in to kiss her. For an agonising moment the anxiety floods back as she processes what’s happening, and then it recedes quickly again as she moves to kiss him back, her hands making their way to his face. He’s taken by a sense of relief, washing over him like a tide coming in to shore.

“Stay,” he says, not sure he can manage much more.

Her mouth tilts upwards, almost a smile. “Sure.” She reaches out for him, pushes him up against the wall.

And so he lets her take him under again.


End file.
